Buying a Manufactured Home in Sun Lakes, Arizona
A manufactured home in Sun Lakes is a different purchase from one in a typical Arizona community, because you buy the lot as well as the home. Sun Lakes is an age-restricted community in unincorporated Maricopa County, just south of Chandler. Its manufactured homes are in the original section, begun in the early 1970s, where owners hold title to their lots and belong to a homeowners association.
So there is no space rent. In its place are association dues, property taxes and the association’s rules, and the loan turns on a question that never comes up on a rented space: has the home been legally joined to the land?
The manufactured homes are in the original section, on owned lots
Most of Sun Lakes is site-built. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 to 2024 estimates count about 10,200 housing units there and about 700 mobile homes, the category the survey uses for manufactured homes. That is roughly one home in fifteen.
Manufactured homes are found in Sun Lakes Country Club, the community’s original section, which is governed by Sun Lakes Homeowners Association #1. The association’s members are the owners of the lots, and the section has site-built homes as well as manufactured ones.
Santiago Financial, Inc. is not affiliated with the association. We do not summarize its dues, fees or rules here, because they change; the association posts its current governing documents, and those are what to read.
Owning the lot replaces space rent with dues, taxes and upkeep
In most Arizona communities the buyer owns the home and rents the space, which is called a land-lease community. Sun Lakes works the other way, and the differences run through the whole purchase.
An owned lot in an association compared with a rented space
| Owned lot in a homeowners association | Rented space in a land-lease community | |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The home and the lot | The home |
| Recurring charge for the land | Association dues | Space rent |
| Who can change that charge | The association, under its governing documents | The community owner, under the rental agreement and state law |
| Property tax on the land | Yours to pay | The community owner’s |
| Changes to the home’s exterior | Need the association’s architectural approval | Need the community’s permission |
| When you sell | Home and lot sell together; the buyer must meet the age rule | The home sells; the buyer must pass the community’s resident approval |
| Loan that may fit | Land-and-home, if the home is recorded as real property | Home-only (chattel) |
Whether the home is affixed decides the loan
A manufactured home on an owned lot is recorded in one of two ways, and you cannot tell which by looking at it.
- Affixed. The owner recorded an Affidavit of Affixture with the county and surrendered the home’s title to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). The home is now real property, part of the lot. Home and lot transfer together by deed, and land-and-home financing may fit.
- Not affixed. The home still has MVD titles, generally one per section, and is personal property sitting on a lot that transfers by deed. There are two sets of records to move to you, and the lender needs to know that before anything else.
The Maricopa County Assessor puts it plainly on its mobile homes page: an Affidavit of Affixture changes the status of a manufactured home from personal property to real property.
For an eligible Arizona mobile home permanently attached to real property owned by the homeowner, the process generally involves surrendering the MVD title and recording the affidavit with the county. Current MVD and county procedures should be confirmed. Affidavit of Affixture in Arizona explains the process step by step.
Finding out how a Sun Lakes home is recorded
- Ask the seller or the listing agent Request either the recorded Affidavit of Affixture or the home’s current MVD titles. Every home is covered by one or the other.
- Search the county recorder The Maricopa County Recorder has a public search of recorded documents. Look for an Affidavit of Affixture for the property; an earlier owner may have recorded it.
- Look up the parcel The Maricopa County Assessor shows who owns the lot and how the property is described.
- Match the numbers The serial numbers on the home’s data plate should match the affidavit or the titles, one number for each section.
- Tell your lender what you found The answer decides which programs may apply and which documents the file needs.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
What to ask the association before you make an offer
An association is not a landlord, but it has as much say over daily life and resale as a community owner does. Its recorded restrictions run with the lot and bind every owner, so read them, and its current rules, before you commit.
Pay attention to the question about replacing the home. The original section dates from the 1970s, and if the home on the lot is an older one that you plan to replace, expect to need the association’s approval before a newer home is set. Permit and installation questions for manufactured homes in Arizona go to the Arizona Department of Housing.
Additions deserve the same care. Enclosed patios, added rooms and converted carports are common on older homes. Ask the seller for the association approval and the permit for each one, because unpermitted work can come up in the appraisal and in the insurance.
What a lender reviews on a Sun Lakes purchase
On an owned lot the lender reviews the property as well as the borrower:
- The home: its year, size and number of sections, and its HUD labels and data plate. A home built before June 15, 1976 predates the federal HUD Code and is treated differently.
- The lot: the deed, the legal description and any liens.
- How the two are joined: affixed or still titled, and what the home sits on. Foundation requirements depend on the program.
- The value: when the home is real property, the home and lot are appraised together.
- You: income, credit and the full monthly cost, including dues, taxes and insurance.
Buying a manufactured home on owned land goes through the property checks in more detail. There is no single down payment or term; each depends on the program, your credit, the home and the land, and not all applicants or properties qualify. If you are looking at a specific Sun Lakes home, talk with a specialist about its title status before you make an offer.
If you would rather rent a space than buy a lot, nearby cities such as Chandler and Mesa have land-lease communities; see what buyers should know about Chandler and Gilbert. The West Valley counterpart to this article is manufactured homes near Sun City.
